


Names

by Eriakit



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Cute, Family, Fluff, Gen, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-09
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-04-08 13:17:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4306542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eriakit/pseuds/Eriakit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arien Hawke has always been stubborn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Names

**Author's Note:**

> I had a random thought along the lines of "sometimes I just don't like certain names. What if that happened to someone, and it was their name they didn't like?" And then I had a plot bunny.

 

Much to her parent's eventual consternation, she started talking three months after her first name day. Her first word was "no".

Unlike most babies whose first word was "no", she didn't use it to complain. She didn't say it when it was bathtime, or bedtime, or when she didn't want to wear clothes. She only used the word "no" when someone called her by name.

"Marian," her mother would say, and she would say "no". Her mother would roll her eyes and continue with whatever it was she had been going to say, and meet no resistance.

"Marian," her father said, once, and she said "NO". He stopped, and looked at her, and said "Alright then. How about Sweetheart?" She scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "No pet names either, then. Well, you're a Hawke, whatever else you are. How about Hawkling?" And she giggled and clapped her hands.

So her mother would call her "Marian" and she would say "no", and her father would call her "Hawkling" and she would giggle. And over the next few months she learnt how to say new words, and then make sentences, and she used them every chance she could.

"No" was still her favorite, though.

When she was two, she got a baby brother and a baby sister, in that order. She sighed and said "More Hawklings." But Father said "No, I think you're the only Hawkling here." and she was happy again.

She was three before her father thought to ask. "Why do you always say 'no' when your mama calls you Marian, Hawkling?"

Glad someone had finally asked, she said "Don't like it. Not mine." Befuddled, her father asked "Not yours? Not your name?" When she nodded, he laughed. "Well then what _is_ you name, Hawkling?"

She stopped playing with her doll for a moment. "Dunno," she said, finally. "Not that."

Carver was a few minutes older, but Bethany talked first. Her first word was "Carver". Not to be outdone, Carver pouted and then lisped out "Bith-nee." Mother and Father thought it was adorable.

She did too, really, but "no" was a much better word.

She didn't figure out her name until she was four. Everyone but her father and siblings called her "Marian", and sometimes she would say "no", but sometimes she got bored and would ignore them.

Then one day she realized that the whole name wasn't bad, just parts of it. So she started saying it to herself in as many ways as she could think of. Her father was worried, and asked her "Are you trying to make your self like 'Marian', Hawkling?" He seemed very relieved when she said "no", that time.

Then she explained, "I don't like it, but parts of it are ok, so I'm figuring out which parts I don't like."

He didn't seem to understand, but he was _old_ , so that was understandable.

She figured out she didn't like the "mm" part at all. That was right out. And she didn't like the "air" bit, either. It didn't sound right. She thought "-ian" was ok, but not by itself.

She got Bethany and Carver to help her, and they would make noises all day, trying to fit them with "ian" and make her a name. Finally, Carver got bored, and cranky, and started repeating "Air-ian" over and over. Bethany smacked him, but he just giggled and kept doing it. He messed up, though, and "air-ian" turned to "arr-ien". Just once, because then Bethany put her hand in his mouth and Mother took them away for a nap, but it was enough.

Arrrrrien. Ariiiien. Arien.

She grinned and went as fast as she could to where her father was reading one of his big, weird books.

"Arien!" she squealed.

Father blinked down at her, then picked her up and sat her in his lap. "Arien? What's that?"

"Me."

He frowned. "Isn't that awfully close to 'Marian'?" he asked.

She scrunched up her nose. "No. Mm-air-ian isn't me. Arrr-ee-en is me."

"Well, I suppose I can't argue that logic."

She smiled, then frowned. "What's argue?"

"What you do all day, Hawkling."

Mother didn't like it. "What's wrong with Marian? It's a lovely name!" She told Father. Father said "But it isn't hers, love." and Mother sighed before saying it was Father's fault.

Actually, it was really Carver's fault. Or Arien's fault, but Carver figured it out.

Arien loved her name. She'd laugh when Carver would yell it when she made him angry, and he'd know why, and sometimes laugh with her. She'd laugh when her mother would call her 'Marian' and not answer until she would sigh and say 'Arien'. She'd puff up with pride when Father introduced her to people as "Arien, my little Hawkling".

She loved her name, and she loved that she'd made it herself - alright, Carver helped - and she loved it when Mother would tell her friends "She's so stubborn she named herself!" and then tell them the story.

She was proud to be stubborn, to be Arien Hawke.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! And please, let me know about any errors. I self-beta, so I know I miss things.


End file.
